West Bridge Journals

The Aldermans, A Legacy O Love

Webster defines a family as; “A fundamental social group in society, typically consisting of parents and their offspring.” I am just naïve enough to think that Webster should have written; “See Alderman Family” for a definition.

Webster also defines Legacy as; “Something handed down from an ancestor or predecessor”. That “Something” which, has and still is, being handed down has marked us forever as Aldermans much more so than just DNA alone. We ARE because they WERE. You ask 50 Aldermans what that something was and you would get the same answer most of the time, which is: Love, love of family, respect of family, love of God and His Church, dignity, and love of country. Our Legacy is so strong and powerful that it is infectious to those that join our family by choice. You didn’t have to be born an Alderman, to be an Alderman. How great is that?

Legacy? Yes, the Aldermans have a legacy which is a work in progress. Being built before our eyes, and remembered in our past, with the ones that have gone on home. But oh, how we miss them, especially each July when the Alderman Clan gathers together.

Dallas put it so well in one of his songs, “Losing them wouldn’t be so hard to take, if heaven wasn’t so far away.” Wouldn’t you just love to drive over to heaven to see Granny Rosa, the one who passed down a big part of the legacy? Then there’s Tom with his gentle spirit, and we can visit kind Edna. I would love to see my brother Kenny, and Wendell with that ready smile on his face. Barbara would be there too with Joey, Pat and Mark. I wonder if God has a golf course for Tommy to play on, maybe so. We would look up Uncle’s Robert, ken and Jim to say hi. Dallas said, “If heaven wasn’t so far away, we could pack up the kids and go for the day.” Sadly, we can’t do that, but their legacy lives on in us and we should never forget. We must emphasize their memory because they are still relevant to us. Great Americans all, even with their faults and frailties they were and still are significant and sacred to us. That is why we teach our children our heritage. We each have Alderman Stories, and they resonate throughout our spirit.

The third week-end of July, we gather in Albany to share those stories and renew relationships that may have lain dormant for the past year. We will fellowship, laugh and cry while passing out the hugs and forever passing on the heritage. Great Americans all.

Another Great American, John Steinbeck, once penned in a book the now famous quote, “How will we know it is us, without our past?” Indeed…